Las Vegas (February 14, 2008) The recent announcement by the PCI Security Standards Council of an updated Self Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) makes it more advantageous than ever for merchants to outsource credit card information storage and processing. According to Shift4 Corporation, a leading developer of payment processing software, merchants now have a greater incentive to select the outsource model.
The new questionnaire covers small and mid-sized merchants that typically are not required to have on-site PCI compliance assessments. Merchants who outsource card information storage and processing will now use the simplified “SAQ A” assessment, rather than more stringent self assessment regimens.
Shift4 Corporation offers merchants a way to reduce the resources devoted to self assessment and attain real security at the same time. “The card information replacement outsourcing model pioneered by Shift4 removes all useable card information from merchant systems and transfers responsibility for protecting it from the merchant to Shift4,” said J. D. Oder II, Chief Technology Officer and founder of Shift4. “As a result, our DOLLARS ON THE NET® and SecureSuite® solutions qualify merchants for the less burdensome SAQ A.”
The primary objective of Shift4?s card information replacement technology is to enable businesses to operate normally while not storing the sensitive information that is the target of thieves. “They can’t steal what you don’t have,” said Oder.
“We congratulate the PCI Council for taking a major step to reduce the burden on small and mid-sized merchants who want to focus on their core business, rather than complex questionnaires, and who also want to demonstrate PCI compliance,” Oder added.
In addition to protecting the merchant, Shift4’s approach to credit card transaction security directly benefits acquiring banks which are ultimately responsible for the fines associated with a breach resulting in credit card data theft. Consumers also benefit by having the assurance that their personal information is protected in a secure third party environment.